President Xi Jinping appointed one of China’s few top generals with combat experience to a powerful military post, according to two people familiar with the matter.
General Li Zuocheng, 63, a veteran of the country’s brief and bloody 1979 war with Vietnam, was this week named chief of the People Liberation Army’s Joint Staff Department, the people said, asking not to be identified because the announcement was internal.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...d-to-name-combat-veteran-to-top-military-post
General Li Zuocheng, 64, a veteran of the 1979 war with Vietnam, expected to become new vice-chairman of CMC, sources say
Updated: 24 Aug 2017
General Li Zuocheng, the commanding officer of the ground force of the People’s Liberation Army, is expected to fill
a vice-chairman’s vacancy on the Central Military Commission. Photo: Handout.
A veteran of the Sino-Vietnamese war is expected to take a key vice-chairman role on China’s powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), military sources said.
General Li Zuocheng, the 64-year-old commanding officer of the ground force of the People’s Liberation Army, will fill the vacancy left by CMC vice-chairman Xu Qiliang, several sources told the South China Morning Post.
Xu Qiliang is likely to take over as CMC first vice-chairman, the sources said. Incumbent General Fan Changlong, 70, is expected to retire from that position next month.
Li Zuocheng at the age of 26, when he was taking part in the Sino-Vietnam war in 1979. Photo: Handout
Li, 64, a Hunan native, was decorated by the CMC as a war hero during China’s conflict with Vietnam in 1979,
awarded a first-class merit for his personal achievements. His combat company also won a collective order of merit.
A source close to the PLA told the Post that Fan may retire next month and Xu would fill the void. A second source, who requested anonymity, said the vacancy created by Xu’s move would be filled by Li.
When Li was promoted to division commander in 1994, his combat unit was awarded a second-class merit for their part in a flood-relief mission in Guangxi.
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Li is the most experienced general – he’s taken part in real battles and disaster relief missions, meaning he meets all the requirements for President Xi Jinping’s call to build up a combat-ready fighting force.”
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/dipl...ero-tipped-xi-jinpings-choice-key-role-worlds
